15 
learn that he left Calcutta on the last day of July (1869), and made a short stay at Akyab, 
then spent a week in Rangoon and 16 days each at Moulmein and Penang, lie then had. a 
day at Malacca, eight days in Singapore, and thence proceeded to the Ni cobars and on to tne 
Andamans, reaching Calcutta by the 14th of October. 
His collections were most abundant as regards fish, mollusca (both marine and lan ) , 
arachnids, Crustacea, &c., and he also obtained some birds’ skins by purchase. Although he 
did little directly in reference to geology, he says, “ I am firmly convinced that a geologist 
learns more geology on such a journey than if he had worked the same time in the fielc,, I 
“ mean with hammer and chisel.” At Akyab he obtained living species of Lingula, and his 
observations on living Tellinas led him to pronounce unfavourably on Beshayes classification 
of that genus, and similarly with regard to H. and A. Adams’ classification of Glauco- 
nomya of which he found examples in brackish swamps at Rangoon. 
At Moulmein he found a number of land shells living on isolated rocks, each of which 
showed more or less peculiarities in the species or varieties found within its own particular 
limits. He says, “ I have never seen so splendid an opportunity for determining what a 
variety is, and how it becomes a species.” 
_ In Burmah he co-operated with Hr. Hay, who was engaged in preparing a report on the 
fish of that country. 
Of Penang he says, “ To give a description is beyond my powers, I cannot paint a picture 
“ sufficiently beautiful.” His letter enumerated his principal acquisitions as lie progressed, 
and he speaks in enthusiastic terms of his success at each of the localities. At bingapoie he 
obtained his first view of coral reefs in all their splendour, but with regard to them and their 
contents he observed and noted rather than collected. After a few remarks on the new English 
colony and its surroundings at Camorta in the Nicobars, where he spent but a short time, he 
elates how he subsequently sent back a collector from Calcutta, who obtained for him a rich 
harvest of valuable specimens ; then, referring to the coral reefs in the Andamans, he writes, 
I stood for hours on a sandstone prominence surrounded by coral reefs, observing how the 
soft shales (standing almost perpendicularly) between the hard sandstone layers were entirely 
“ washed away, how the living coral had built up in the eroded spaces, and how two wholly 
different formations presented themselves to the observer in apparently concordant layers 
at a depth of 50 to 60 feet below the level.” The shore life, with the distribution of the 
uiollusca, he found most instructive, and mentions some particulars. 
He concludes thus, “ You will now ask, what will you do with all this material ? 
“ What I can I will myself slowly work out, and as soon as I am ready I will deposit a 
“ portion of the collection in our museum here, and a portion in our museum m Vienna. 
My ornithological collection rtiust lie by for one or two years. • • Pirstly, I wi m 
my private morning time work out the reptiles as far as possible, I have many new 
species. Then I shall take up the Moulmein land shells, then a monograph of the 
“ Arachnids of Penang. Next year I will write a monograph on the Penang land shells, 
“ and then on those of the Nicobar and Andaman Islands, and, if possible, work out the 
“ birds. My Arachnids are particularly numerous; I have at least 150 new species, and 
many very interesting new genera.” , „ 
“ Of butterflies I have collected none, it was impossible to attend to everything, and or 
“ other insects I have very few ; but of Myriapods I have apparently a large number. 
He then speaks of the Crustacea which he had given to Mr. Wood-Mason, to describe, and 
of the fish which Hr. Hay had examined, and of which he was starting oh a large series to 
Vienna. 
